Praise be to God!

(Psalm 66) Andy Nagahara

A. The purpose of praise (1-4)

0 For the director of music. A song. A psalm.
1 Shout with joy to God, all the earth!
2 Sing the glory of his name; make his praise glorious!
3 Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies cringe before you.
4 All the earth bows down to you; they sing praise to you, they sing praise to your name.”

B.”Our” praise (5-12)

1) To the one who does great things through us (5-9)

5 Come and see what God has done, how awesome his works in man’s behalf!
6 He turned the sea into dry land, they passed through the waters on foot– come, let us rejoice in him.
7 He rules forever by his power, his eyes watch the nations– let not the rebellious rise up against him.
8 Praise our God, O peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard;
9 he has preserved our lives and kept our feet from slipping.

2) To the one who disciplines us through trials (10-12)

10 For you, O God, tested us; you refined us like silver.
11 You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs.
12 You let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance.

C. “My” praise (13-20)

1) Offering my praise as a sacrifice (13-15)

13 I will come to your temple with burnt offerings and fulfill my vows to you–
14 vows my lips promised and my mouth spoke when I was in trouble.
15 I will sacrifice fat animals to you and an offering of rams; I will offer bulls and goats.

2) Encouraging others to praise (16-20)

16 Come and listen, all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me.
17 I cried out to him with my mouth; his praise was on my tongue.
18 If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened;
19 but God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer.
20 Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!

Summary

We often hear the phrase, “praise and worship,” but praise is just one part of worship. It is not just about being happy and singing to God. It has to do with truly rejoicing about what God has done for us.

For Discussion

1) What is praise?
2) What kind of trial has God brought into your life?